


Future Promises

by nfra3711



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-10 00:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2003112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nfra3711/pseuds/nfra3711
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During a time of war and turmoil, it is next to impossible for one to feel at peace. But when the War God promises her that there is a place for her in his future, she's more than delighted to take comfort in his words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Future Promises

She couldn’t actually quite understand him, even after all the years of devotion and dedication.

She couldn’t quite get a hold of the air in his face, the guise spread across the prepossessing surface of his pallid complexion, or the sentiment buried under layers and layers of camouflage that was the cold impression of his orbs. She couldn’t really make any sense of his wonderfully serene gestures done at all times, under any circumstances, or the tranquility that was his soft spoken words and courteous intonation. She couldn’t fully understand his shrouded zeal, the flame blazing that was concealed in what felt like an immovable berg of ice, the way his thin lips curved up and his pale eyes turning a shade more fierce, the way he dashed forward and leaped to the side, sword out from its sheath, clashing with another, one more and yet another, the roguery in his face growing every time.

As someone who was there, nowhere but by his side every second she breathed, every second she was awake and alive, she knew next to nothing about him, about her Lord, about her sole purpose of living.

She was aware, and she didn’t mind.

It mattered none that she didn’t quite know him, didn’t quite understand him as much as she had hoped she did. It didn’t matter that there were still tons of different things and secrets and untold stories about the man she adored that she didn’t know, wouldn’t, couldn’t know. It didn’t matter to her, not one bit.

Because if there was any worth left of her life, then she would, in a blink of an eye, dedicate everything she had left, her past, her present and her future, to him, to her Lord, to the gracious leader of the Uesugi clan.

He had treated her with nothing but kindness, with respect and utmost care. He tenderly expressed his gratitude every time she had done a favor to him, no matter how small or insignificant, even though it was supposed to be her duty. He humbly apologized had he thought he was mistreating her, or that he was overworking her, even though she would’ve given up her own life immediately for him, had he asked her to. He threw sincere compliments her way, smiles and small giggles sent following them every time she had done something she thought didn’t matter at all. He held her hands, gently pulled her into his arms, whispering more and more of those sweet words that sent more than just a tiny shiver among her spine.

So it mattered none if she didn’t know his entire life story; it mattered that his affection was profound, that he wished for her to stay by his side, that she mattered to him.

It was more than enough.

But then he sat down across her, distance closing that their knees were almost grazing against each other, his presence, a funny mix of cold and warm, felt like it was tickling her that her face turned a vivid shade of red. He was smiling, smiling the same old truthful smile, and she knew he was, despite her consciousness insisting to break the eye contact between them every five seconds.

He murmured a tiny laugh, and she mouthed a little apology, to which he just shook his head, smile unchanging on his face.

“M—My Lord,” she finally spoke up, even if it turned out as a messy mumble, words tangled and cadency unstable. She hated it when she knew she was losing her grip on herself, but it wasn’t something that he could help, not when he was there, not when he was right in front of her, eyes fixed at nothing but her. “Is there something that you need?”

“No.” He replied, swift and poised as he always was. “It has just occurred to me that I do not thank you as much as I should.”

“Th—Thank me!?” She was jittery that she almost jumped up to her feet, but halfheartedly forced her weight down against the mat laid under both their figures so that she stayed still in her place. “My— My Lord, there is no need of you to thank me!” She bit her lip, the heavy blush creeping up her face was getting more and more prominent, and she knew that there was no way she could suppress it. “If anything, it is I who should be thanking you!”

“And what for, shall I ask?”

She lowered her head, an expression of unfeigned subjection. “For your kindness, for treating me considerably. I, your servant, do not deserve such hospitality.”

Her momentary composure almost broke when she felt his fingers curled up against her chin, pulling her face up so that their eyes met once again. She felt a fleeting embarrassment, and she was sure that she looked like nothing but a heap of mess, with all her emotions flooding out from both her facial gestures and her body language.

He paid no mind. His face was close to hers, a little too close that she could notice all of tiny but breathtaking details carved there in his eyes alone; from the chilling hue that of his orbs to the perfectly tapering eyelashes framing them.  The moment felt so surreal, so out of this world that she briefly forgot that she wasn’t dwelling in one of her dreams.

“Please do not disregard yourself that way.”

She tried her hardest to keep her thoughts together, to listen to everything he had to say to her, to make sure that she wasn’t swayed away that she forgot to pay attention.

“You are more, than just that.”

She was about to protest, and he obviously knew as right the moment after, a finger already landed against her lips, his own muttering a soft ‘hush’.

“When you are with me, I feel peace.” His thumb grazed her cheek, she felt a weird flutter somewhere in her stomach. “Nothing but peace. It is a weird feeling, for one to feel that way, during a time so cruel and terrible.”

“My Lord—“

“That is why I ask of you,” he let go of her face, but then lowered his own as he took her hand on his, planting the gentlest kiss against the back of her palm. “Stay with me, until these terrible times have passed. And then…”

She looked at him, the quivering feeling she had turning into something different.

“And then?”

Kenshin only smiled.

\--

All of it seemed really far away, she wondered if it was reality, or just another deceiving scenario that her mendacious mind came up with in order to please no one but herself.

It was dark, that was all she knew. Even though her vision was far more trained than that, that the gleaming moonlight peeking above her should have been enough for her to make of what was around her and where she was.

But she couldn’t, as there was only black in her sight. Her knees were down touching the ground, rough and bumpy and it was definitely not the most pleasing feeling. Her fists were crumpled, her fingers clutching on the pile of dirt under her. She felt heavy, as if some invisible force was trying to knock her out cold, and yet her sentience insisted she stayed awake.

What was she doing? What had just happened? The images in the furthest back of her head were rotating, spinning so fast that she couldn’t get a hold of any of them.

_Boom._

A loud thrumming came from behind, the resonance leaving the ground below her shaking and the trees swaying at their places.

She looked up, her dark sight clearing up only slightly. She raised her head from the ground, and wobbly got back to her feet, turning to face the direction where the sound came from.

Smoke. Dark smoke with scorching tinge of reds and oranges.

Another similar blast was heard, and one more tower of crumpled clouds of dark smoke rose to the night sky. Her skillful ears could make of the subtle background noises following the explosions; yelling, screaming, cries of desperation and pain, unsettling noises coming from the mouths of those whom she knew, were important to her, were her companions, her friends.

Echigo was destroyed.

It all slowly came back to her. She was there, running amongst the fires, helping any single soul serving their clan that she could see, defeating any other of the opposing side that she could find. But the doings of a sole kunoichi meant nothing significant. They were disadvantaged, they were losing. Every direction she averted her eyes to, there were only more of the bodies of her fallen comrades, and the ruins of the clan’s properties that used to be standing tall and proud and beautiful. She could see no way nor any means of victory, but out of all of her concerns, she couldn’t see _him_.

That was when it happened. A blast made from the opposite side of the land, followed by a blooming bright light materializing in the dark sky above. All she could remember next was that both her ears were deafened by loud cheering, people around her clapping their hands, jumping at their places and started dancing, most rising their fists towards the flowery structure of the fireworks at the sky.

 

_“We won!”_

 

She felt as if her heart stopped beating.

 

_“Uesugi Kenshin has been defeated!”_

 

 

Her memories blacked out. That was as far as she could remember, wanted to remember. Her legs lost their stance and she felt her remaining power was immediately sucked out away from her physique, tears were then streaming down her face as she once again fell to the ground.

 

_“My Lord, I do not mean to sound disrespectful, but you never told me what you wanted to do, had these terrible times have passed.”_

_Kenshin chuckled, “Are you not the curious one?”_

_“N—No,” she lowered her head again. “I only wish to ensure I will do my roles as you see fit, when the time comes.”_

_He pat her head, his fingers stroking ever so gracefully between her pale locks, it felt so pleasant that she couldn’t help but smile. “Could you see that you will be by my side when the time comes?”_

_“Ye—Yes, of course! My entire life I will be by your side, my Lord!”_

_“Then you shall do just fine.”_

_He leaned in closer, closer than ever, their foreheads touching and their noses poked against each other. She blushed, as she always did, but the smile in her face wouldn’t leave._

_“… And the rest of it, the future will tell us.”_

She was crying, sobbing, maybe even yelling, not that she had any care to give, not that there was a single soul out there to offer her comfort.

Was this it? Was this what the future waited to tell her? That he and she, that they had no future together, that she had not the tiniest speck of light in her upcoming days?

No, of course. She was certain that this was not the future her Lord had dreamt of, that this wasn’t the future he had promised her, and definitely not the future where she could be by his side.

Her fists tightened, her teeth sinking into the flesh around her lips.

“My Lord Kenshin.”

She muttered his name, it hurt, oh it hurt, but by time the sadness engulfing her heart was ceasing, dissolving into the void as another vehemence that was slowly, darkly taking over of what was left of her sanity.

“My Lord…”

This wasn’t the future he had hoped for, wasn’t the eternal peace in his heart that he was looking forward to. This wasn’t what he was about to tell her, this wasn’t the end of his sentence that day.

But now she would never know.

_‘Give him back!’_

 


End file.
